My late night calving adventure - fluid in the lungs
May 8, 2018 16:48:06 GMT -5
hazelsmilker, Shawn, and 17 more like this
Post by treatlisa on May 8, 2018 16:48:06 GMT -5
It's long - sorry!
Heifer calf born 5/5 9pm 2 weeks early (had a solid breeding date). I did end up assisting because although everything was lined up properly, I was getting nervous about how long the feet had been showing.
This was my first experience with a heifer Mama so I was trying hard not to jump the gun. Finally felt I must help. I lightly assisted by holding any progress with each contraction. Short time later baby was out. All looked fine at first.
It was 9pm, about 45 degrees out, no wind, so I wasn't too concerned about the cold. (my Mom used to calve in Wyoming in March - so I'm thinking this calf is a lucky girl!) Mama was doing a great job cleaning and licking, calf was attempting to get up so I left them alone for about an hour. When I checked in about 10:30 baby had not got up, was chilled and had rattly breathing. I got some towels to help dry her off, rubbed and tried to help her up but she was weak and not getting stronger. Attempted to help her nurse but could tell that wasn't going to happen any time soon.
At one point I left for maybe 2 minutes to get dry towels and when I got back the baby was struggling violently, no breathing - as I got to her she flopped over, eyes rolled back - dying. Out of desperation I grabbed her by the hind legs, jerked her up and held her that way for as long as I could - 30 sec? A surprising amount of fluid came out her nose and that cleared enough that she started breathing again. I kept rubbing and drying her but the rattly sound continued. I lifted her several more times (10?) which cleared quite a bit of fluid each time. She stopped breathing one other time during all this but some how we managed to get through. Finally her breathing cleared completely but she was weak and cold. Got a heat lamp going on her to help warm her up thinking if I could get her warm she would be able to get up and nurse... after a while of not making enough progress I started making plans to milk the heifer and get some colostrum down the baby.
By now it is 2AM and I know I need to get that colostrum in her so I give the heifer one chance to let me milk without restraint (well, tied) but she was nervous and kicky (as I would expect) so I trussed her up tied with a halter and belly rope against the fence and got some colostrum. (She has done outstanding ever since - what a girl.) The baby won't suck so I find my inadequate tube feeder which ends up being too large for her esophagus, top closure won't close so it spills some of my precious colostrum (GRRR...) I milk out some more, go to the house to heat it all up again, find an inflation I had saved for drenching a cow (thx wyomama!) decide to try that as it is softer and more flexible and a tiny bit smaller than the bulb on the tube feeder - of course the calf thinks it's dying as I work the thing down her throat -and maybe she is - but I'm running out of options - it's Hail Mary time. (the inflation may not be long enough for regular sized calves but this girl is tiny - 30-35 lbs maybe.). Somehow, I get a bit down her - not enough but she is exhausted and done. I enclose her in a chicken tractor (no chickens) next to where Mama was with the heat lamp on her, cover her with dry towels and call it a night at 4am.
I get 2 hours sleep and I'm back out trying to get the little girl up to nurse. She weakly mouths a little but no nursing is gonna happen. My mom comes to help me - we finally get a pint down her, which makes her little tummy look really full. My Mom and I both take a deep breath.
It takes her 18 hours to stand by herself, but we make a little progress feeding her a pint every few hours for the day. It was traumatic for all of us using the inflation for tubing but it did save her life until I could get to town and get a better (different tube feeder). 2nd day we try and try to get her to take a bottle or a teat but she just is not taking to either. Very little sucking reflex so we continue to tube trying to stretch out the time so we aren't stressing her as often and I was hoping a little hunger would kick start the sucking reflex. But now, of course, she starts to feel hot, likely dehydrated so we tube before I really wanted to. But that was after we spent about an hour letting her mouth a lamb nipple on a bottle - got a tiny bit down in that amount of time - no good sucking though and only a few good swallows - anyway...
We take her temp (102.5) 2 hours after feeding - so making plans to heat some electrolytes on the afternoon of her 2nd day. She wasn't happy about the temp taking - it disturbed her nap - and what happens next was astonishing... She jumps up, feebly attempts a bounce or 2 and heads straight for the udder! Could have knocked Mom and I both over with a feather. I think our mouths were hanging open. DH was with us so I held Mama still, he guided baby in and helped her latch on! She gets a belly full... OMG!!! What a relief. Didn't see that coming at all. And today, her 3rd day, she is acting like a regular calf!
Heifer calf born 5/5 9pm 2 weeks early (had a solid breeding date). I did end up assisting because although everything was lined up properly, I was getting nervous about how long the feet had been showing.
This was my first experience with a heifer Mama so I was trying hard not to jump the gun. Finally felt I must help. I lightly assisted by holding any progress with each contraction. Short time later baby was out. All looked fine at first.
It was 9pm, about 45 degrees out, no wind, so I wasn't too concerned about the cold. (my Mom used to calve in Wyoming in March - so I'm thinking this calf is a lucky girl!) Mama was doing a great job cleaning and licking, calf was attempting to get up so I left them alone for about an hour. When I checked in about 10:30 baby had not got up, was chilled and had rattly breathing. I got some towels to help dry her off, rubbed and tried to help her up but she was weak and not getting stronger. Attempted to help her nurse but could tell that wasn't going to happen any time soon.
At one point I left for maybe 2 minutes to get dry towels and when I got back the baby was struggling violently, no breathing - as I got to her she flopped over, eyes rolled back - dying. Out of desperation I grabbed her by the hind legs, jerked her up and held her that way for as long as I could - 30 sec? A surprising amount of fluid came out her nose and that cleared enough that she started breathing again. I kept rubbing and drying her but the rattly sound continued. I lifted her several more times (10?) which cleared quite a bit of fluid each time. She stopped breathing one other time during all this but some how we managed to get through. Finally her breathing cleared completely but she was weak and cold. Got a heat lamp going on her to help warm her up thinking if I could get her warm she would be able to get up and nurse... after a while of not making enough progress I started making plans to milk the heifer and get some colostrum down the baby.
By now it is 2AM and I know I need to get that colostrum in her so I give the heifer one chance to let me milk without restraint (well, tied) but she was nervous and kicky (as I would expect) so I trussed her up tied with a halter and belly rope against the fence and got some colostrum. (She has done outstanding ever since - what a girl.) The baby won't suck so I find my inadequate tube feeder which ends up being too large for her esophagus, top closure won't close so it spills some of my precious colostrum (GRRR...) I milk out some more, go to the house to heat it all up again, find an inflation I had saved for drenching a cow (thx wyomama!) decide to try that as it is softer and more flexible and a tiny bit smaller than the bulb on the tube feeder - of course the calf thinks it's dying as I work the thing down her throat -and maybe she is - but I'm running out of options - it's Hail Mary time. (the inflation may not be long enough for regular sized calves but this girl is tiny - 30-35 lbs maybe.). Somehow, I get a bit down her - not enough but she is exhausted and done. I enclose her in a chicken tractor (no chickens) next to where Mama was with the heat lamp on her, cover her with dry towels and call it a night at 4am.
I get 2 hours sleep and I'm back out trying to get the little girl up to nurse. She weakly mouths a little but no nursing is gonna happen. My mom comes to help me - we finally get a pint down her, which makes her little tummy look really full. My Mom and I both take a deep breath.
It takes her 18 hours to stand by herself, but we make a little progress feeding her a pint every few hours for the day. It was traumatic for all of us using the inflation for tubing but it did save her life until I could get to town and get a better (different tube feeder). 2nd day we try and try to get her to take a bottle or a teat but she just is not taking to either. Very little sucking reflex so we continue to tube trying to stretch out the time so we aren't stressing her as often and I was hoping a little hunger would kick start the sucking reflex. But now, of course, she starts to feel hot, likely dehydrated so we tube before I really wanted to. But that was after we spent about an hour letting her mouth a lamb nipple on a bottle - got a tiny bit down in that amount of time - no good sucking though and only a few good swallows - anyway...
We take her temp (102.5) 2 hours after feeding - so making plans to heat some electrolytes on the afternoon of her 2nd day. She wasn't happy about the temp taking - it disturbed her nap - and what happens next was astonishing... She jumps up, feebly attempts a bounce or 2 and heads straight for the udder! Could have knocked Mom and I both over with a feather. I think our mouths were hanging open. DH was with us so I held Mama still, he guided baby in and helped her latch on! She gets a belly full... OMG!!! What a relief. Didn't see that coming at all. And today, her 3rd day, she is acting like a regular calf!
